Writing (mostly) about disruptive trends and technologies in the 21st century

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Web Secret #54: Kableflags

I don't know what your desk is like, but mine looks like NASA mission control. I have two cordless phones, a VOIP phone console, a laptop, two USB hubs, a wireless router, a wireless signal booster, a 22 inch LCD screen, a printer, a fax machine, chargers for a broad range of electronic devices - but wait - there's more.

I won't bore you further. The point is that identical black power cords and various black wire tentacles spread all over the place.

My neat freak spouse is appalled by the mess. I don't care about the mess. What I care about is when something goes wrong with my little high tech empire. Say my wireless router acts up and I need to reboot it (aka unplug it). Which one of those ten identical looking plugs, (inserted haphazerdly into a giant power strip), should I pull?

In the past, I would try to follow the cords to their source, (this required Twister like moves over and under my office furniture), and usually, because I have the patience of a toddler, I ended up pulling plugs, (with attendant catastrophic results), until I found the right one.

Fortunately, these tragic days have come to an end because I am now the proud owner of a set of Kableflag™ Cable Identification Tags. Each hard rubbery label wraps around a cord to mark its function. Unlike tape, the tags won't age or become disagreeably sticky. You can get a set of blank tags, and label them yourself.